The group of Regosols is a taxonomic rest group containing all soils that could not be accommodated in any of the other groups. Excluded from the Regosols are weakly developed soils that classify as Leptosols (very shallow soils), Arenosols (sandy soils) or Fluvisols (in recent alluvialdeposits). These soils have AC-profiles. Profile development is minimal as a consequence of young age and/or slow soil formation.

Land use and management of Regosols vary widely. Some Regosols are used for capital-intensive irrigatedfarming but the most common land use is low volume grazing. Regosols in mountain areas are best left under forest.

Regosols cover an estimated 260 million hectares worldwide, mainly in arid areas in the mid-western United States, Northern Africa, the Near East and Australia. Some 50 million hectares of Regosols occur in the wet/dry tropics, most especially in northern Australia, and another 36 million hectares in mountain areas.